There are many mysteries of science out there in the world, join us now as we explore the one known as the Einstein Twin Paradox. 7. What Is The Twin Paradox?
This is going to get a bit complicated, so allow me to paint you a picture that will help you understand it a bit better.
I want you to picture a pair of twins, ones that are the exact same in every way. One day one of them gets selected for a mission that will send them into space, and they'll travel 86.6% the speed of light to a star that is 10 light years away. The other will just be an observer on Earth, "watching" the stars to try and see where their twin is, but otherwise not doing anything special.
You follow so far? Good.
So, here's where the problem comes to light. Because you have a person moving close to the speed of light. And science dictates that the faster you move through space, the slower that time moves for you. This won't happen with the technology that we have right now because we're not moving anywhere close to the speed of light (which for the record is 670,616,629 mph). So moving say 60 miles per hour isn't going to affect time around you because light is moving much, MUCH faster than you are. Understand?
Going back to the astronaut, as they fly through space, they're going to meet a scientific principle for their travels known as the Lorenz Factor. The Lorenz Factor helps show how much time will be sped up or slowed down via your movement in space. It's a complex math equation so I won't bore you with that.
But needless to say, if said twin in said spacecraft going 86.6% the speed of light was to go on a ten lightyear journey, they would feel time going twice as slowly. Despite the universe itself going at the same rate as usual. To the extent that the technological instruments that would be on the astronauts craft would also register time going slower because they're going so fast.
Here is where the paradox comes in. The total trip for the astronaut to the star and back should take 23 years. But, they're going to feel time going slower by a factor of two. Therefore, who is the older twin when the astronaut reunites with them back on Earth?
6. Both Sides Of The Equation
Mind blown? I'm sure it is. But I'm also sure that some of you aren't sure why this is a paradox at all.
Here's why some of you might think that way. You think that because the astronaut twin is traveling through space, regardless of the time they're "feeling", they're still going faster than the twin on Earth. So by that token, the Earth twin is older because they're feeling the effects of time in the regular way, and thus when they return 23 years later, the earth twin is older.
But, because of the concepts of near lightspeed travel, it can also be stated that the astronaut twin isn't actually moving in the normal sense. They're perceiving time in an abnormal way, meaning that they perceive time going slower as the universe moves around them. And by that token, since they're perceiving time at a slower rate, and their bodies aren't registering time in the normal way, but in a slower way, they are going to be older than their twin back on Earth.
Neither theory is wrong, as they're both backed by various scientific principles, but both can't be right because that would create a paradox. So which is it? Which one is older, or, are they both the same age despite the traveling and lightspeed travel that has gone on here? What is the true answer to this paradox?
5. It's Not Really A Paradox
Did I blow your mind again? I'm sorry, but I promise this will make sense by the time that this is all over.
The problem here is that while the Einstein Twin Paradox is special, there honestly is a definitive answer as to which twin will be older and younger by the time this is all over. And that in turn reveals the big misconception about the paradox as a whole.
Because while time may be constant in its own right, the problem lies with the astronaut twin. Mainly in that this twin isn't moving in the same direction throughout her trip. Remember, this example with the twins depends on how the mission itself goes. The astronaut twin is going to the star ten light years away and is then returning back to Earth. And as you know from how the universe works, the Earth, and by extension the star, are not in the same place every single day, or even year. So, the astronaut twin is actually going in two different directions at a speed that is only constant in one direction, while the earth twin is in the same place at the same speed going in a constant state of motion.
And thus, when you end up back on Earth, because the astronaut twin is experiencing time half the speed as the Earth twin, the astronaut twin is actually younger by a factor of 2. So while the Earth twin is waiting 23 years for the twin to return, the twin in space is experiencing the trip itself only taking about 11.5 years. Thus the age difference.
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